What do women voters say about Turkey's withdrawal from İstanbul Convention?

More than 40 percent of the ruling AKP's women voters approve of the withdrawal while it's only 21.5 percent for the MHP's women voters, according to the survey.

Ruken Tuncel

What do women voters say about Turkey's withdrawal from İstanbul Convention?

Women's demonstration in suport of the convention in Kadıköy, İstanbul. (Photo: Evin Arslan/csgorselarsiv.org)

Click to read the article in Turkish

Half of women voters in Turkey are against the country's withdrawal from the İstanbul Convention while only 20.5 percent approve of it, according to a new survey.

İstanbul Convention is a Council of Europe treaty on combating violence against women and domestic violence. President and Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on March 20 signed a decree pulling Turkey out of the convention.

The move has led to widespread protests and legal action from women's rights groups and opposition parties.

The survey was conducted by Yöneylem Social Research Center company in 27 provinces with 3,140 respondents in March.

Among all voters of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), 41 percent said they approved the withdrawal, 15.1 percent said they found the decision wrong, 41.9 percent said "I don't have an opinion (I'm undecided)."

Forty-one percent of the party's women voters approve the withdrawal.

Among all voters of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), the allies of the AKP, 41.6 percent said they approve of the withdrawal, 32 percent said they found the decision wrong and 20.3 percent said "I don't have an opinion (I'm undecided)."

Only 21.5 percent of the MHP's women voters approve the withdrawal while 58 percent of them oppose it.

Among the respondents in the 18-24 age group, 58 percent said they are against the withdrawal. Sixty-eight percent of students and 39 percent of housewives said they didn't approve of the president's decision.

About İstanbul Convention

The Council of Europe (CoE) "Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence", also known as "İstanbul Convention", is based on the understanding that violence against women is a form of gender-based violence that is committed against women because they are women. It is the obligation of the state to fully address it in all its forms and to take measures to prevent violence against women, protect its victims and prosecute the perpetrators.

As of March 2019, it has been signed by 45 countries and the European Union (EU). On March 12, 2012, Turkey became the first country to ratify the Convention, followed by 33 other countries from 2013 to 2019 (Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, Estonia, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Norway, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Portugal, San Marino, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland). The Convention came into force on 1 August 2014.

* Click here to read the full convention

(RT/VK)

Ruken Tuncel

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